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Friday, 31 January 2014

Glue: Sprue Cutters Union #26

Greetings Wargamers and Hobbyists, and welcome once more to the workshop.

This week the members of the Sprue Cutters Union (#spruecutters) have been asked a rather sticky question, one which I am sure we each have our horror stories about...

- What glue(s) do you use, and how do you apply them? -

Well, this is a very simple one for me, because I only use one kind of glue...Loctite Super Glue with brush applicator.

This reasoning behind this has come about over an extended period, bearing in mind that it will be twenty one years with the coming of February's issue of White Dwarf since I began in the hobby of miniature wargaming, not counting a couple of years or so with HeroQuest and Space Crusade before that, so I have been through some glue in my time.

I use superglue because it sticks fast, which is great when you have an entire army to build, and when I started out in the hobby, most of my minis are wholly or partially metal, so Super Glue is the obvious choice for that reason as well. Its 'rapid reaction' also makes it good for impromptue field repairs for that inevitable damage in transit on the way to a games night.

The reason I use super glue instead of poly cement for my plastics is two-fold: superglue sticks faster, and you can take models apart again later to help with painting. You can also take apart models that are glued with cement, but that requires the use of a chain axe...

You might think that this was enough to answer the question, and I guess it is, but the inner workings of my cogitator is never as simple as that, no sir it isn't.

I guess I could say a few words about using the particular glue I use. Quite simply, the reasons are as follows:

You get what you pay for in my experience. For something that you might only buy once or twice each year, why skimp, when a decent brand of glue might save a year of headaches?

I find the brush applicator to give the best control over where the sometimes tiny quantities of glue end up. I have heard good things about nozzle applied gel super glue, also by Loctite, but I can say for certain that the humble foil tube gives about as much control as a scale modeller at a 99% discount kit sale the day after pay day.

When using a bottle of liquid super glue, whether a brush applicator or not, always store it upright. Never let it lie on it's side, even for a couple of hours. I learned to my cost a couple of times how quickly bottles will glue their lids on tighter than a Dwarf misers purse strings. Don't do it. It's not that you then have to pay out to replace what could well be half a bottle of glue, it's the inconvenience of coming to use the glue, and finding you can't because the son of a nutcracker won't open without a hacksaw.

Last tip. Superglue has a shelf life, so when you start to find that the glue is getting lazy, starting to congeal and plainly just isn't doing it's job as well as it did when it was new, just resign it to the Great Hobby Heaven in the sky and buy a new one. As I already said, it isn't worth quibbling over a few quid when you only by two or three bottles each year, and you can lose hours removing, cleaning and re-gluing the same piece over and over because the glue has decided to play silly beggars. Just buy a new one.

So, there are my thoughts on which glue and how it is applied, and a few pointers I have picked up while using it. Let me know if you get stuck with any of them...

If you would like to read more posts on this same topic by a variety of miniature modellers, I invite you to have a look through the links below to the blogs of other Union Members, and to the main Topic Hub over at the Combat Workshop, where more members will post their links.

I also invite you to check out this link, which explains how you too could become a Sprue Cutters Union member. All you need is a blog of your own, whether you are a seasoned blogger or would like to start one for the for the first time, and more importantly you need a passion for miniature modelling of one kind or another. We are indeed a varied bunch...

Thanks for reading.

P.S. Here are a couple of photos of my completed Chaos Warriors, The Unleashed...next time, something quite different.